‘The Odyssey’ Was Made for Imax 70mm. Good Luck Watching It That Way
‘The Odyssey’ Was Made for Imax 70mm. Good Luck Watching It That Way
《奥德赛》专为 IMAX 70mm 格式打造，但想看上一场全凭运气
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey in Imax 70mm is the hottest club in town, if you can get in. While Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s epic is available on thousands of screens around the world, there are only 41—including 25 in the US—that can offer it in full Imax 70mm glory. Many of those are sold out for weeks. Levels of FOMO are off the charts.
克里斯托弗·诺兰执导的《奥德赛》（The Odyssey）IMAX 70mm 版本是目前城中最热门的“俱乐部”，前提是你得能抢到票。尽管诺兰对这部荷马史诗的改编作品在全球数千块银幕上映，但只有 41 家影院（包括美国的 25 家）能提供完整的 IMAX 70mm 视听盛宴。其中许多影院的票在未来几周内已全部售罄，观众的“错失恐惧症”（FOMO）指数爆表。
That’s partly because The Odyssey is the first feature film shot entirely on Imax film with Imax cameras. For the uninitiated, the Imax film format takes an already large 65-mm film negative and runs it through the camera horizontally, resulting in an image 15 perforations wide compared to the standard 5 perf. When projected on a giant Imax screen, the resulting image, with a squarish aspect ratio of 1.43:1, is enormous and incredibly sharp, creating a far more immersive experience than standard cinema offerings. This is real Imax, according to fans of the format, which was first introduced in 1970.
部分原因在于，《奥德赛》是首部完全使用 IMAX 胶片摄影机拍摄的长片。对于外行来说，IMAX 胶片格式是将原本就很大的 65mm 胶片负片横向穿过摄影机，从而产生 15 个齿孔宽度的画面，而标准胶片仅为 5 个齿孔。当在巨大的 IMAX 银幕上放映时，这种宽高比为 1.43:1 的近方形画面不仅巨大且极其清晰，创造出远超普通影院的沉浸式体验。对于自 1970 年该格式问世以来的忠实粉丝而言，这才是真正的 IMAX。
Imax, though, comes in a variety of flavors: digital formats in 2K and 4K resolutions, xenon and laser light configurations, on top of the classic 15/70-mm. Outside of a select few, most digital Imax theaters crop the image to a wider 1.90:1 aspect ratio and project on screens a good deal smaller than a traditional Imax giant theater.
然而，IMAX 也有多种“口味”：除了经典的 15/70mm 胶片外，还有 2K 和 4K 分辨率的数字格式，以及氙灯和激光放映系统。除少数几家外，大多数数字 IMAX 影院会将画面裁剪为更宽的 1.90:1 宽高比，且银幕尺寸也远小于传统的 IMAX 巨幕影院。
“This all started in 2008 when Imax introduced its first digital system,” says James Hyder, who managed the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum’s Langley Imax theater in the ’80s, and ran the giant-screen industry journal LF Examiner from 2008 to 2021. Imax did not respond to requests for comment.
“这一切始于 2008 年，当时 IMAX 推出了首个数字系统，”曾于 80 年代管理过史密森尼航空航天博物馆兰利 IMAX 影院，并于 2008 年至 2021 年间运营巨幕行业期刊《LF Examiner》的詹姆斯·海德（James Hyder）表示。IMAX 公司未回应置评请求。
The company’s foray into digital exhibition with a 2K-resolution dual-projector system was part of a long-planned shift. Executives wanted to expand beyond museums and science centers and into big theater chains, which didn’t always have the screen real estate the traditional Imax experience demands.
该公司通过 2K 分辨率双机放映系统进军数字放映领域，是其长期规划转型的一部分。高管们希望将业务从博物馆和科学中心扩展到大型连锁影院，而这些影院并不总是有传统 IMAX 体验所要求的巨大银幕空间。
The result, though, has been notably different Imax experiences depending on what type of Imax theater you’re in. Especially as major theater chains have invested in PLF (Premium Large Format) screens that rely on Dolby Vision or other systems, it’s hard to know what you’re going to get, or if Imax is even your best bet.
然而，结果导致观众在不同类型的 IMAX 影院中获得的体验大相径庭。尤其是随着大型连锁影院纷纷投资依赖杜比视界（Dolby Vision）或其他系统的 PLF（高端巨幕）影厅，观众很难预知自己会看到什么样的效果，甚至不确定 IMAX 是否仍是最佳选择。
Complicating things further for The Odyssey is that it’s available in so many premium formats—six, altogether—that the film’s official website includes a guide to their various strengths and aspect ratios. While it disambiguates between 70mm Imax and “regular” Imax, it doesn’t capture the wide range of what those “regular” experiences can entail.
让《奥德赛》情况更复杂的是，它提供了多达六种高端放映格式，以至于电影官网不得不专门制作一份指南来解释各种格式的优势和宽高比。虽然指南区分了 70mm IMAX 和“普通”IMAX，但它无法涵盖这些“普通”体验所包含的广泛差异。
“It’s a disservice to their customers, and it’s basically trading on a reputation for real giant screens that used to be what Imax stood for,” Hyder says of the lack of clarity and consistency around how Imax is implemented.
“这对消费者是一种伤害，本质上是在透支 IMAX 曾经代表的‘真正巨幕’这一声誉，”海德在谈到 IMAX 放映标准缺乏清晰度和一致性时说道。
Recent years have seen a resurgence in shooting and projecting on film, with Imax 70mm in particular becoming the gold standard. Nolan’s films regularly get Imax 70mm releases on the few screens that can accommodate it, but following the success of Oppenheimer, a string of releases, including Dune: Part Two, Sinners, One Battle After Another, and Project Hail Mary, have followed suit.
近年来，胶片拍摄和放映出现复苏，IMAX 70mm 尤其成为了行业金标准。诺兰的电影通常会在少数能容纳该格式的影院进行 IMAX 70mm 放映，但在《奥本海默》取得成功后，《沙丘2》、《罪人》、《一场接一场的战斗》以及《挽救计划》等一系列影片也纷纷效仿。
While The Odyssey was shot in a 1.43:1 aspect ratio, its images were composed to function just as well when cropped to other ratios, all the way down to the very wide 2.39:1. It was intentionally shot to work across digital, 35-mm, and regular 5-perf/70-mm, all overseen by the director and reflective of his intent. Eventually, it will also be available to buy on Blu-ray or stream online. It’s not unlike the difference between seeing a print or digital image of the Mona Lisa—which most people will in their lifetimes—and actually being lucky enough to see it in person at the Louvre.
虽然《奥德赛》是以 1.43:1 的宽高比拍摄的，但其构图在裁剪为其他比例（直至极宽的 2.39:1）时依然表现出色。该片在拍摄时就刻意考虑了数字、35mm 和普通 5 孔 70mm 格式的兼容性，全程由导演把控，以体现其创作意图。最终，该片也将推出蓝光碟或上线流媒体。这就像看《蒙娜丽莎》的印刷品或数字图片（大多数人一生中都会经历）与有幸在卢浮宫亲眼目睹原作之间的区别。
Of course, there’s only one Mona Lisa, while there are a few dozen places to see The Odyssey on Imax 70mm. Still, the relative scarcity understandably leaves many wanting more. They may not get it any time soon.
当然，《蒙娜丽莎》只有一幅，而能看到《奥德赛》IMAX 70mm 版本的影院还有几十家。尽管如此，这种相对的稀缺性难免让许多观众感到意犹未尽。而他们短期内可能无法如愿。
“The problem is they haven’t made new Imax film projectors in about 50 years,” Imax CEO Rich Gelfond told Variety in a recent interview. “So we retrofit them, rebuild them, and part of our strategy is to see how far we can take it. But certainly, demand-driven, I’d like to see more.” Variety also reported that sources at the company say many of the specialized parts needed to build a new Imax film projector “simply no longer exist.”
“问题在于，他们已经大约 50 年没有制造新的 IMAX 胶片放映机了，”IMAX 首席执行官理查德·格尔方德（Rich Gelfond）在最近接受《综艺》杂志采访时表示。“所以我们只能进行翻新和重建，我们的策略之一就是看看这种模式能维持多久。但从需求驱动的角度来看，我当然希望看到更多。”《综艺》还报道称，公司内部消息人士透露，制造新 IMAX 胶片放映机所需的许多专用零件“已经不复存在了”。
In truth, Imax was still building new projectors in the late ’90s and early ’00s, and engineers can surely always find ways of machining new parts. But even Hyder agrees the difficulties and costs involved would make such an endeavor unlikely, and even unnecessary given the advances of digital projection. “It’s the old chicken-and-egg problem. If you don’t have a projector, if you don’t have a theater to show it, you can’t make the film. If you don’t have the film to show in the theater, you can’t show it in the theater,” Hyder says.
事实上，IMAX 在 90 年代末和 21 世纪初仍在制造新放映机，工程师们肯定总能找到加工新零件的方法。但即便是海德也承认，考虑到数字放映技术的进步，这种努力不仅困难且成本高昂，甚至没有必要。“这是一个典型的‘鸡生蛋，蛋生鸡’的问题。如果没有放映机，没有放映的影院，你就无法制作胶片电影。如果影院里没有胶片电影可放，你就无法在影院里放映，”海德说。
A 4K laser alternative to the full 1.43:1 experience of Imax 70mm does exist on some old giant Imax screens, and while it has its own advantages, it lacks the sharpness of the film format. To really get to an acceptable digital replacement for the 15/70-mm experience, Hyder speculates 8K projection would be needed, which could be done by tiling multiple 4K projectors across a single screen. “In fact, that’s what planetariums do all the time,” he says, noting that Imax itself has been supplanted by competitors on formerly Imax-branded giant dome screens.
在一些老式 IMAX 巨幕影厅中，确实存在 4K 激光放映方案作为 IMAX 70mm 全画幅 1.43:1 体验的替代品，虽然它有自己的优势，但缺乏胶片格式的锐度。海德推测，要获得真正可接受的 15/70mm 数字替代方案，需要 8K 放映技术，这可以通过在单块银幕上拼接多台 4K 放映机来实现。“事实上，天文馆一直都在这样做，”他指出，在一些曾经挂着 IMAX 品牌的巨型球幕影院中，IMAX 本身已经被竞争对手所取代。
Of course, there are other reasons Imax and exhibitors might not mind the scarcity of theaters that can screen the 15/70-mm format. “One of the reasons this is so popular is because it’s rare,” Hyder says.
当然，IMAX 和放映商可能并不介意 15/70mm 格式影院稀缺，还有其他原因。“它之所以如此受欢迎，原因之一就是因为它稀有，”海德说。
That said, Hyder is still happy to see so much attention on Imax 70mm, especially since he didn’t expect the format to still be alive in 2026. With good maintenance, the hefty machines could still run for decades more. “The last Imax film projector may still be running.”
尽管如此，海德仍然很高兴看到 IMAX 70mm 受到如此多的关注，尤其是因为他没想到这种格式在 2026 年依然活跃。只要维护得当，这些笨重的机器还能再运行几十年。“最后一台 IMAX 胶片放映机或许仍在运转。”